Timeline
This is an account of the history of Inga no Kusari's alternate reality. It stretches back to before the written word and serves to explain somewhat, how Inga no Kusari is different from the standard Bleach canon. Definitions c. - Circa These dates are approximate. BCE - Before Common Era Analogous to the Christian BC. CE - Common Era Analogous to the Christian AD. Birth of Spirit c. 60,000 BCE Soul Society (at this point in time, nameless) receives its first residents. They are scattered, and living lives similar to the nomadic existences they had in the Mortal World. c. 10,000 BCE The first settlements develop in Soul Society, but as little more than static villages and surrounding farmlands. Their distance between one another across the vast plane that would one day be known as Rukongai limits transportation and communication between the townships. c. 5000 BCE The villages and towns in Soul Society begin to grow to such a degree that it becomes similar to Rukongai today, with a greater interaction between the people, and an understanding of their new existence. The first Society War breaks out due to disagreement over forms of government, and many die. In the aftermath of the war, the Central 46 are formed from the elders of the 46 regions within the Rukongai. They select souls of particular skill and name them shinigami. The shinigami are protectors of the Central 46 and Soul Society as a whole. Desert Mask Rising c. 5300 BCE Hollow numbers begin to grow terrifyingly, and the shinigami start traveling to the Mortal World in order to purify these souls and also to help unsent souls of the dead to make their way to Soul Society. The first arrancar begin to take shape, colonizing the world of Hueco Mundo, and subsequently draining it of all natural resources within the millennium. c. 4920 BCE La Imperio del Hueco is formed as one arrancar takes control of the warring factions within Hueco Mundo and enslaves the mindless hollows as workers. Las Noches is erected and the Legion Blanca is formed to act as both soldiers and law enforcers for the Empire. The arrancar declare war on Soul Society. The Masked War begins, which results in the death of thousands of shinigami, arrancar and hollows. c. 4800 BCE In an attempt to harness the power of the First Hollow, La Imperio del Hueco awakens the great serpent, directing its cataclysmic strength towards Soul Society. To defeat the creature, the Captains of the Gotei 7 sacrifice their lives to seal the hollow's spirit within their Zanpakutō. With the aid of fullbringers, its body is chained beneath Japan, held by places of worship and divine power. The first great era of Soul Society ends with the deaths of the first captains. c. 4500 BCE The Masked War ends with the death of the first emperor of La Imperio del Hueco. The soldier and worker castes fall into civil war with the lack of command, eventually reducing Las Noches to ruin. Pure White Boundry 2001 BCE The Gotei 7 expands to the Gotei 13 under pressure from the growing number of shinigami. They occupy the center of the vast city that makes up most of Soul Society. A wall is built to separate the the normal citizens of the Rukongai from those 'pure souls' that occupy the city within the walls. The Shinigami Academy is formed to better train the members of the Gotei 13 and to keep the number of Shinigami down. c. 1500 BCE The founding fathers of Soul Society, the Central 46, begin to die of old age, only to be reincarnated in the Mortal World. A greater understanding of existence is gained from this and the eldest, and most experienced shinigami, who once served under the great 7 captains, take the unoccupied seats of the Central 46. This results in Seireitei being governed in a much more bureaucratic way and, with the needs of the Rukongai citizens not being adequately met by the 46, unrest begins to form amongst the 320 districts. Traitors and Masks 984 BCE A member of the arrancar warrior caste crowns himself Emperor Yevele XVI, using power and persuasion to win the respect of the warring factions of Hueco Mundo. Within three years he builds a new, larger Las Noches, a city fortified and encased within stone. His empire immediately declares war against Soul Society, with greater organization than the first empire which preceded it. 862 BCE The lieutenant of the 11th Division, Sedris Kuseki, along with his brother and five other shinigami, are sent on a suicide mission to Las Noches to assassinate the emperor. Using his wiles and silver tongue, the shinigami, under a squad known as centurions, are persuaded to betray Soul Society, and instead serve the arrancar. Sedris is titled the Traitor King by Soul Society. c. 700 BCE Using experimental techniques developed by his brother Kain, Sedris enhances himself and his six allies using a mystic art that goes further than the symbiosis between Zanpakutō and Shinigami, coming to fuse the two and learn the secret of what allows the blade to change form. With this enhancement, and their knowledge of Soul Society, the Centurions lead an assault upon the Gotei 13, easily battling their way towards the Central 46 chamber. 699 BCE Using the power of the Sōkyoku, Sedris and his Centurions are defeated; their bodies destroyed by the legendary spear's eternal flames. In a panic, the arrancar soldiers that accompanied them flee through Garganta, taking the blades of the seven traitorous shinigami as proof of their defeat. 681 BCE Their source of knowledge about Soul Society destroyed, and their secrets exposed, La Imperio del Hueco crumbles beneath an assault on Las Noches led by the Gotei 13. The sword of Sedris, the Traitor King, is lost and those of his six comrades are hidden in the catacombs beneath the city. Emperor Yevele XVI commits suicide, and his seven espada vanish from the city. The Second Masked War ends with the genocide of every single surviving arrancar at the hands of the shinigami. Revolting Exterminators c. 100 CE Citizens of Rukongai gather together and bear arms against Seireitei, and the first civil war of modern Soul Society takes place. It is quickly squashed as the Shinigami come to enforce an iron-hard rule on the more mutinous districts, resulting in the tiered states of social quality within each region's 80 districts today. c. 500 CE The Third Masked War is declared by Soul Society in response to power struggles between the growing Vasto Lorde factions spilling into the mortal realm. The barons of the warring factions react by taking arms against Soul Society. The short-lived war, ended by in-fighting between the hollows, results in the destruction of all organization within Hueco Mundo. The city-palace of Las Noches descends into ruin. c. 1100 CE Hollow numbers begin to rise rapidly in the wake of the Crusades. The Order of Quincy is formed during the Second Crusade to combat the number of beasts attacking priests traveling to the holy land. Silver Winding Blackcoil 2008 CE A band of arrancar, led by a self-titled "Queen of Hueco Mundo", attempts to unleash the First Hollow once more. After several months of searching for both the swords containing its spirit, and destroying the shrines restraining Its body, they are defeated at the very last hurdle, with the death of Queen Elmira and the destruction of the Founders' Blades. Early 2009 CE From the ruins of Las Noches and with Elmira dead, Ortiga Azoul begins to rebuild La Imperio del Hueco. Making arrancar from hollows, the population of the dead city soars, and soon a method for mass-producing infantry for the empire is created. The boom of Arrancar ensured that the city-palace regained its former splendor, La Imperio del Hueco was reborn. Badsword Blankout 2009 CE After the battle with Queen Elmira, the Agency - a shadowy organization - springs into action. As a result, Desmond Green is kidnapped. A mysterious sword is also found in Alabama at this time, and it is given to Shirou Kamui by captain Arasugane of 12th Division. The Tyrant King possesses Kamui through this sword, who then goes on a rampage, resurrecting his six fellows and declaring war on soul society. Following them is an army of dead bodies, animated by the fragments of spirit held within small objects. 2010 CE The revenge of the Tyrant King culminates in an all-out invasion of Soul Society, reducing much of the residential districts to rubble. Whilst the Tyrant King's six Centurions lay waste to those that oppose them, and eventually engage in battle with high-ranking captains, their leader makes his way to Sōkyoku Hill with the intention to unleash the great phoenix and raze Seireitei from the face of Soul Society. Captain Commander Ikenmaru steps forward to halt the release of the deadly execution phoenix, but it immobilized by the bankai of the Tyrant King, affixed to the adhesive hide of the huge black dragon that it summons. Only with the combined efforts of captains Keikoku Yomijou and Sanpuu Kikkai is the Sōkyoku contained and the killing blow is landed by the now-freed captain Ikenmaru. The battle for Seireitei is over in a day, but the damage wrought will last a lifetime. 'Vals de Cuervo' 2011 CE Has the arrancar search for new weapons to use against the shinigami, an ancient arrancar is awaken from deep slumber. Sin Ruta, commander of Legion Blanca of the Old Empire, awakes in this new era. Both new and old struggle to find respect from each other. It seems Sin Ruta and Ortiga Azoul just go well together, but eventually they reach an understanding. They now join forces against their common enemy, Seretei. A new plan of invasion begins to take form. 2012 CE The invasion of the Seretei takes place. The new arrancar weapons wreak havoc in the Rukongai, turning shinigami into artificial arrancar. This affects the moral of the lower ranked shinigami heavily, and eventually causes the entire shinigami army to be overwhelmed by the increasing numbers of arrancar. During this invasion, Ortiga Azoul and the Captain of the 1st Division, Ikenmaru Amarini battle each other. The battle was fierce, but after several fatal wounds inflicted to both, the result becomes the death of Leaders of warring armies. Eventually, the shinigami flee from the battlefield, and the arrancar gain control of the Seretei. 2013 CE The shinigami setup a new HQ in the dangai. Feat that was only possible due to the sacrifice of another Captain. The shinigami were weak and struggling to save as many of the comrades that were still stranded on enemy territory. With the death of Ortiga Azoul, Sin Ruta took command of the armies, and now built defenses to strengthen his position against any shinigami retaliation.